Bracketology update

Can it be March yet? 

While the temps outside are staying low, the race to the NCAA tournament continues to heat up across the Big 12. After two undefeated non-conference schedules, the men’s and women’s teams have found themselves in two very different positions. 

The men’s side are 18-2 and 5-2 in conference play, currently parked at fifth place with Kansas. The Cyclones have currently only faced conference opponents either tied or below them in the conference. Their biggest test will be a brutal two and a half week stretch starting with Kansas at home, and then facing Houston, at BYU, at Utah, Texas Tech, and then ending with a road trip to Arizona. Playing all members of the current top four in just two weeks will be a season-defining stretch, and will be one of the last tastes of the Cyclones for the selection committee. 

The women’s team has had a tougher conference stretch, finding themselves at 16-5 but 4-5 in conference, currently tenth in the conference. A five game skid to start the calendar year derailed the previously top ten squad, with injuries to Arianna Jackson and Addy Brown being primary factors. Jackson has returned to the lineup, and the team has been rejuvenated after dismantling two bottom feeders of the conference in Cincinnati and Arizona. While they don’t have a stretch as top heavy as the men’s side, the last seven games of the season are all against teams that are currently .500 or better in conference play. The Cyclones do have the opportunity to fly up the standings as they sit trailing by 1.5 games or less of six teams within the conference. 

So how would each team fare if the tournament started tomorrow? Here are some of the common bracketology projection site’s picks, as well as some computer rankings and factors that will be important to follow as the season progresses. I’ll also include current big 12 projections along with current one seed projections. 

On the men’s side: 

ESPN: 3 seed, East regional, starts in St. Louis 

CBS: 2 seed, East regional (With a round of 32 matchup being either Iowa or TCU?) 

KenPom: 6 overall, 14 Offense, 6 defense

NET: 7 overall

Q1: 5-1

Q2: 5-1

Q3: 1-0

Q4: 7-0 

ESPN: 7 Big 12 teams (Zona 1, Houston 2, BYU 3, ISU 3, TTU 4, Kansas 5, UCF 8) 

1 seeds: Arizona, Michigan, Duke UConn 

Upcoming: Home vs Colorado (Q3), Away vs Kansas State (Q2) 

For the ladies: 

ESPN: 10 seed, Baton Rouge (1/23) 

CSM: 9 seed, Storrs (1/20)

Bartovik: 36 overall, 13 Offense, 89 Defense 

NET: 36 overall

Q1: 1-3

Q2: 3-1

Q3: 0-1

Q4: 12-0 

ESPN: 9 Big 12 teams (TCU 3, Baylor 4, West Virginia 5, TTU 6, OSU 7, ISU 10, Utah 10, ASU 11, BYU 11) 

1 seeds: UConn, UCLA, Texas, South Carolina 

Upcoming: Away vs. Texas Tech (Q1), Home vs. UCF (Q4)